Four Rules
by miley-avril
Summary: AU: Graham is alive and well in Storybrooke. In hopes of making his girlfriend feel better after recent events, he gives Emma four ideas which she turns into rules. Established Gremma. Gremma/Charming Family plus Graham fluff and feels. Takes place after 1X17: "Welcome to Storybrooke". Spoilers up to and including that episode, so be careful if you don't want to be spoiled.
1. The Four Rules

**SO BASICALLY I MISS WRITING ****THERE'S A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL****. SEEING GRAHAM IN 1X17 GAVE ME ALL KINDS OF FEELS AND I'M HAVING TROUBLE DEALING WITH THE FACT THAT HIM AND EMMA WERE BOTH IN STORYBROOKE BUT UNABLE TO INTERACT OR ANYTHING. IN THIS, GRAHAM AND EMMA ARE IN AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY IT'S CANON EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT GRAHAM NEVER DIED. THE FOUR "RULES" IN THIS STORY ARE FROM SOMEWHERE ON TUMBLR. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE I SAW THEM, BUT WHEN I DID, I THOUGHT THEY COULD MAKE AN AWESOME EMMA STORY. AND WHERE THER'S EMMA, GRAHAM USUALLY ISN'T TOO FAR BEHIND. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY IT'S CANON EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT GRAHAM NEVER DIED. THERE'S ALSO THE FACT THAT THE CHARMING FAMILY GOT A NEW HOUSE. SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE. ONTO THE STORY…**

**ONE LAST THING (SORRY): I DON'T OWN ONCE UPON A TIME. NOW SERIOUSLY, ONTO THE STORY.**

Emma trots down the stairs, her blonde locks pulled up into a messy ponytail, wearing a light blue tank top and black shorts. She rubs the last remnants of sleep from her eyes and takes in the empty apartment. Panic fleets through her for a moment, the fear of abandonment bubbling up to the surface. She takes a few deep breaths to calm her racing thoughts, and then she remembers that her parents were taking Henry to the stables and Graham was helping Granny and Ruby put up a new sign on the diner. Emma smiles when her eyes fall on her spot at the table; her breakfast looks like a smiley face, no doubt Mary Margaret's doing, her coffee's already been made to perfection, and there's a single tulip in a small glass vase. _Yup, life is good_, Emma thinks. As she slides into her chair, she notices a small, folded up piece of paper. She slides it out from under her mug, ignoring the temptation of caffeine for the time being, and unfolds it. She immediately recognizes her boyfriend's handwriting:

_you are allowed to terminate toxic relationships_

_you are allowed to walk away from people who hurt you_

_you are allowed to be angry and selfish and unforgiving_

_you don't owe anyone an explanation for taking care of yourself_

Emma stares at it, trying to figure out what Graham means. Is he breaking up with her? _No, it said _I_ am allowed to end relationships_. She then thinks about recent events. Was he referring to Neal? _Maybe_. She decides definitely. Suddenly, her stomach flutters and she bites her lip as she tucks the little piece of paper into the waistband of her pants, something Emma Swan most definitely doesn't do. She hurries through her breakfast, barely taking time to savor her mother's eggs and bacon before haphazardly running a brush through her hair and changing.

* * *

Even after five months of dating, whenever Emma steps into his field of vision, Graham's knees still grow weak. His knees decide to remind him of this from the top step of the ladder he's on. He almost topples over as she rounds the corner. With a slight red tint to his cheeks, he climbs down.

"Hi." He smiles goofily.

"Hey." Emma does the same. "Uh, hi, Ruby, Granny." She nods in their direction.

"Hi." Ruby chirps, her face taking on that of Snow's when Emma told her she was dating Graham. Even Granny is cracking a smile.

"You kids and that True Love crap." The older woman shakes her head, but it is evident in her voice that she's happy for the two.

"Yeah." Emma scoffs because she was saying the same thing five months ago, albeit in a different context. "How's the sign coming?"

"Great." Ruby responds. "Graham's an awesome hanger."

"Until he almost falls of the ladder." The blonde quips.

"You saw that?" His Irish lilt is strong as he scratches the back of his neck.

"Kinda hard to miss." She shrugs and steps closer to him, finally allowing her head to rest against his shoulder. At this, Graham smiles, knowing this is just about as much PDA as he's going to get.

"You know what? The sign's done. Why don't you guys have some breakfast or something on us?" Ruby asks.

"I just ate. Mary –Snow, whoever made me a smiley breakfast, but a hot chocolate sounds good." Emma smiles.

"Oh my Gods, Snow hasn't done that in _forever_." Ruby gushes, leading her three companions inside the diner. Granny takes back her post of cashier. Graham and Emma sit at the counter, listening to Ruby babble on. "She did a couple times a month for James back home, especially when she was pregnant with you." She pauses to squirt the whipped cream on their beverages. "I wonder why she's in such a good mood?" Ruby ponders out loud as she delivers the drinks, then handing Emma the cinnamon shaker. The blonde shakes on a hefty amount of the orange-brown stuff.

"Well, she and David took Henry to the stables this morning. Maybe getting to ride a horse again?" Emma says.

"Maybe." Graham agrees. "Whatever the reason, I'm just glad she's getting over the Cora thing." At this, the trio's expressions sobers.

"Yeah." Emma says softly.

"You know her heart was turning dark?" Ruby's voice is quiet so as not to allow anyone to overhear their conversation.

"Yeah." It seems to be Emma's word of the day.

"It's not anymore."

"What!?" Discretion never has been the blonde's nature.

"How?" Graham asks.

"She doesn't know, nor does she really care. Although, Blue thinks it has something to do with True Love and maybe being around you."

"Me?" Emma raises an eyebrow, realizing for the first time that her hot chocolate is growing cold. She takes a spoon to the whipped cream.

"You're the product of True Love, Emma. Hers. And you're special, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah." She waves her hand to dismiss her friend's words. "I'm sick of hearing about it." The three sit in silence for a moment, then Leroy opens the door.

"Leroy!" Ruby beams, then bounds over to greet the new arrival.

"So…" Graham casually places his hand on top of hers. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Hmm… it's Saturday. I don't know. Tomorrow's my PJ day and I'm not leaving the house. If Henry isn't done riding by the time we're done here I'd like to go watch him. What about you?"

"I don't know." He rubs his thumb along her fingers. "I feel like we haven't seen each other in forever."

"Well, between Captain Guyliner, Cora, Regina going psycho –again– and Mary Margaret kind of losing it, yeah, it's been a while."

"And Neal." He says.

"There's that, too." Emma agrees with a sigh.

"Hey, look, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry." Graham's eyes turn concerned in a split second, and he instinctively places a hand on her back.

"No, it's fine." She says firmly.

"Emma…" He cranes his neck to look her in the eye, giving her a look that says 'you can tell me anything'. "I won't be offended if you still have feeling for him, if that's why you're not talking."

"No." She shakes her head. "I don't. Not at all. You're my True Love, you know that. And, you know, I love _you_, not because it's our destiny or whatever, but because you're you. Am I still upset about what he did? Of course. And I don't like sharing Henry with him –I mean, I'm already kind of sharing him with Regina and that sucks, but Neal is more dangerous in a way because Henry isn't expecting Neal to hurt him…" she trails of to take a breath.

"Emma, Henry'll be fine. I don't think Neal has any intention of leaving him."

"That's what he made me think, too, before he left me!" Thankfully, the only other people in the diner are Ruby, Granny, and Leroy, and all of them have the sense to pretend they didn't hear anything. Emma looks back down at her hot chocolate. "I don't trust him." She says so quietly Graham almost misses it. "I don't want him around. All he does is remind me of my past." Then she turns to him. "I got your note."

"I figured you would."

"Thank you." Surprising both of them, Emma wraps her arms around his neck. Graham holds her close. "I guess I really needed a reminder that I'm allowed to… you know, what you wrote."

"Emma." He pulls back to look at her. "Those are your four rules. I want you to live by them."

"I will." She says, and then becomes acutely aware of the three pairs of eyes staring at them. "You wanna go watch Henry now?"

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Henry waves at them from on top of his horse.

"Hi, guys!" He beams.

"Hey, Kid." Emma yells back from across the fence. Mary Margaret and David smile at her. "Thanks for the breakfast."

"Did you like it?"

"You know your cooking's always great." Then, while watching Henry, she says, "The smiling eggs and bacon were a nice touch. Thanks."

"I thought you'd get a kick out of it and there was no one around for you to be embarrassed." The brunette explains with a small smile.

"I'm glad you're okay." Emma says, the wind whipping her hair around.

"Emma, I–"

"No, you don't have to explain. Honestly, I don't care about the reasons for you not telling me about it, all I care about is that I'm not gonna lose you." Emma really wishes she could pick when her walls decide to come down because their new house would be a much better location for nearly tackling her mother into a hug than out in the open by Main Street. David meets Graham's eyes over their wives. David mouths, 'What did you say to her?' Graham shakes his head, 'nothing, really'. Because really, those four rules he gave her should not account for this display of affection. Emma pulls back, smoothing her red leather jacket. Henry trots over.

"Guys?" He questions.

"Everything's fine, Kid." The blonde assures him. Though the Emma has regained some of her son's trust, Henry still turns his head to Graham.

"Really, Henry." The co-sheriff nods. "Your mom's just in a good mood."

"Hey!" Emma swats at his chest. "I'm _always_ in a good mood."

"Not always." Mary Margaret mutters under her breath.

"Okay, you know what? I don't like this attack on me. I think me and Henry should just go… do stuff." Despite her words, the barely concealed smile betrays her amusement.

"But Mom, I'm having fun riding." Henry whines.

"Henry, it's twenty five degrees out and you've been outside for two and a half hours. Let's get you warmed up and then later we can come back."

"Okay." The boy sighs.

"I'm just gonna help him off." David meets Henry and the horse in the stall.

"I can't believe it's only 9:30." Mary Margaret says as she checks her cell phone for missed calls.

"I've only been up for half an hour." Emma laughs. "I don't know how you people get up so early."

"Isn't it handy that your father goes to the station first, along with Graham?"

"No, David goes in first because he's my deputy and I get to boss him around." Emma smiles.

"Actually, he's _our_ deputy, co-sheriff." Graham smirks.

"But I'm the one who deputized him!" The blonde cries indignantly. Henry stands off to the side, shaking his head at his family's antics.


	2. Barely Avoiding World War Three

**SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. I HAD TO TAKE ANOTHER TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL. JUST SO YOU GUYS KNOW, I'M TOTALLY OPEN TO IDEAS!**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

"I'm hungry." Henry says as he and James exit the stables to join the rest of their family.

"But you just ate." Emma points out. That elicits a chuckle from Snow.

"Emma, he ate nearly four hours ago. It only feels like he just did because _you_ just did."

"Fine." The blonde rolls her eyes. "How about we go to Granny's and get some pancakes or something."

"I already had breakfast." The boy says.

"Yeah, well, they're not serving lunch yet. I'm sure Mary Margaret can make you a grilled cheese."

"_Or_," Snow interjects, "I'm sure Ruby will be glad to make you a grilled cheese. Not that I don't want to, I just know hers is better."

"It's not." Emma and Henry say at the same time, throwing each other a wink.

"Okay you two, that's enough." James laughs. "No need to gang up on her."

"Leave them alone, Charming. They weren't ganging up on me. In fact, they were _complimenting_ me." Throughout the conversation, Graham made himself a silent observer. He's still getting used to the whole 'I have a family thing', much like Emma. For that, he's grateful. At least he has one other person who has no idea how to belong. In fact, he's so caught up in his own thoughts that he doesn't hear Emma until she pokes him.

"Huh?"

"I said, are you okay with going to Granny's?" Emma's face turns from concerned to irritated.

"Uh, yeah, that's fine. Sorry." Graham apologizes.

"Great. I'm cold, so let's go."

* * *

Of course, nothing is simple for the Charming Family, _ever_. Even a simple trip for brunch at Granny's turns into a big ordeal when they see Neal sitting at the counter, his back to them.

"Everyone be really–" Emma starts.

"Dad!"

"Quiet." The blonde say a sigh as Henry launches himself at Neal.

"Hey, Kid." The man beams, wrapping an arm around his son. Beside him, Graham can feel Emma fuming. He grabs her hand in an effort to keep her calm.

"That's _my_ name for him." The blonde grits out. Snow and James exchange a worried glance. "I just get my son back after ten years and then Regina has to keep him half the time, then Nealfire, that son of a bitch, _accidentally_ finds out about him and now I have to share Henry three ways. It's not even my fault I had to lose him in the first place! It's Neal's!" Her voice was growing louder by the sentence, and by the end, everyone's staring at them, especially Neal, since he doesn't have the sense to look away. Graham wants nothing more than to throttle the man for continually causing his girlfriend pain, but he knows it'll end up with him getting throttled, too. Instead, he settles for,

"Okay, let's go." She allows him to steer her out of the diner before she personally strangles Henry's biological father. This leaves Snow and James standing there like two idiots, something Regina would probably agree with, not knowing what to do. Staying would be awkward, especially since James would love nothing more than to put his sword through Neal, but following their daughter and future (maybe) son-in-law would not be a wise choice either. Thankfully, Ruby saves the day. She ushers them out back, away from the crowd.

"I am _so_ glad I don't have your family tree." The brunette says, her eyes apologizing for whatever God decided to wreak havoc on them.

"Yeah." James scoffs.

"Thank you." Snow smiles. "I don't think I've ever felt more like a deer in the headlights than I did then, all encounters with Regina and Mr. Gold included."

"I can't believe Henry's okay with Neal, I mean, considering he knows Emma enough to know that if she's acting like this, it's for a reason, and it's due to Neal."

"Well, we're trying to steer him more toward Graham–"

"You are, I'm not having any part of your evil plans." Snow says. "And Red, you're Emma's godmother/surrogate aunt; that means you're part of the family tree."

"So… you guys wanna stay back here till the coast is clear or do you want to go out the back?" Ruby deftly sidesteps the fact that she's technically part of the craziness.

* * *

"Deep breaths." Graham instructs.

"He has no right to him." At least she's not yelling anymore. "I don't mind sharing Henry with you cause it's not really like sharing… you actually love him."

"You don't think Neal does? Don't get me wrong, I love Henry, but Neal's his biological father…"

"Screw biology! Neal is going to hurt him one of these days and the poor kid's gonna be blindsided by it."

"He's resilient, Emma, he'll be fine." Graham does his best to soothe her.

"That's the thing Graham, he shouldn't _have_ to get over anything. He shouldn't have had to go through _any_ of this. I had a hard life and I got hurt _a lot_, which is why I am the way I am. I'm not innocent. But Henry is. He's barely eleven years old and he should choose to be who he _wants _to be. I don't want him to end up like me unless he wants to. If his own father leaves him, I guarantee he'll start becoming like me. Look, I had the option of applying to get him back after I got out of jail. They couldn't tell me much about his condition, if he was with a good family. All the people told me is that he was safe and loved. And I knew he was because the social workers, they _know_ if a kid isn't safe or loved. With me, when I was in abusive homes or people who were only fostering kids for the money, my social workers knew. The thing is, they didn't give a crap! So I knew that they were telling the truth about Henry, cause they would have told me if it wasn't true."

"Aren't there laws about child safety?" Graham doesn't doubt Emma, he just knows that that's through the blonde's perspective and things might actually be different.

"They're better now, but even eleven years ago… Graham, the system's corrupted. Social workers get paid off to pretend everything's fine."

"How did you know they weren't lying to you?"

"My lie detector." Emma laughs at Graham's perplexed face and wraps her arms around his neck. "And I saw the adoption papers. It said he was adopted. If I wanted to know who or where, I could've…" she trails off.

"But you chose for a closed adoption." He finishes softly.

"He was better off without me. At least, I thought he was." Emma sighs. "If Neal had stayed… Hell, even if I hadn't gone to jail, I would have kept him. But because I knew he was better off with whoever he was with, I let him go. I'm sorry I freaked out in there, I just… he doesn't have a right to Henry. I looked for him after I got out, I wanted to tell him so at least he'd know and then maybe we could get him back if we wanted, but I couldn't find him. So twice, he screwed me out of my son."

"You're right, Emma. He _shouldn't_ have a place in Henry's life because, even though it was unknowingly, he gave up his right to you and to Henry. But Henry has the right to know his father."

"That's the only reason I haven't gotten a restraining order for a five hundred mile radius." At this, the two laugh. As if the other three knew, Henry, Snow, and James all but run out of the diner.

"I think we're eating at home." Snow says.

* * *

"Sorry about what happened back there." Emma says sheepishly as the five try to pile through the door together. It takes a few tries, but eventually they manage to get through one by one. "Especially to Henry."

"Are you ever gonna tell me what he did?" The boy questions, looking up at his mother with adoration.

"Someday, Kid." The blonde says softly. Then, in her normal Emma voice, "I still can't believe you ate two hotdogs in less than five minutes."

"He has your appetite." Snow quips, steering the conversation away from out-of-bounds topics for her daughter. Emma shoots the brunette a grateful smile. "Speaking of which, you want anything?"

"No, thanks. Your breakfast sufficed, plus two hot chocolates. I'm good."

"Charming? Graham?" Snow turns to James.

"I'm good, too."

"Me, too." Graham smiles.

"I guess we're all good then." Henry returns the smile. "So, what do you guys wanna do?"

"We could play a game." Snow suggests.

"No!" The word comes out of Emma's mouth before she has the chance to think it over. She shifts her weight from foot to foot, "I mean, I'm not really much of a game person. I'd make it un-fun for the rest of you."

"Or… maybe we can tell stories?" The boy asks sheepishly. "Mom –I mean Regina, not Mom, Mom– never really told me stories. I can see why, though. She doesn't have many good ones to tell. Most of them are sad or about killing people. She _did_ always tell me that the happiest day of her life was when I was put into her arms." At this, Emma thinks, _damn, she really did try to love him_. Emma would much rather play a game, and she's about to say as much, but the hopeful look in her son's eyes stops her.

"Okay, Kid. I call the nice, sunny spot, though."

"Mom?"

"What?"

"Are you a natural blonde?"

"Yeah… why?" Emma looks perplexed.

"I'm just wondering, cause Gramma and Gramps are both brunette. And Gramps is definitely your dad, so–"

"It's called recessive traits, Henry." Snow is quick to cut off her grandson.

"How would he know that David's definitely… it wasn't in the book, right?" Emma grabs her mother's arm while the rest take their spots in the living room. "I mean, how I was, you know…"

"Oh, I have no idea how detailed the book is." Snow manages to keep a straight face while shaking her head, her voice serious. With that, the brunette heads into the living room.

"Mary Margaret!" Emma yells. "Hey!" It's times like these that make James the happiest, seeing his wife and daughter interact like a normal mother/daughter duo.

"Mom!" Henry calls in a sing-song voice. "I want you and Graham to tell the story of how you guys met!"


	3. Story Time

**I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO READ/REVIEWED LAST CHAPTER. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. SECONDLY, I JUST WANT TO SAY, AGAIN, THAT I'M TOTALLY OPEN TO IDEAS IF YOU HAVE ANY.**

**DON'T OWN ONCE UPON A TIME.**

"You want to hear how we met, Kid?" Emma raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Henry nods enthusiastically.

"Don't you already know?"

"Actually, he was too busy being mad at Regina." Graham interjects. "But either way, I don't mind telling the story. It's kind of ironic, actually."

"How so?" Snow asks. She's never heard about their first meeting, either.

"Well, it started when I had to arrest Emma–"

"I already _told_ you, I wasn't drunk and there was a wolf in the road."

"_Now _I know it's true."

"But it didn't start with you arresting me. It started when I dropped Henry off at Regina's after he found me. Graham was there cause obviously Regina had the sense to file a missing persons alert."

"I was just jumping to the good part." He says.

"So let me get this straight." James holds up a hand to silence the two. "You had to arrest Emma –your future deputy and sheriff–"

"Co-sheriff." The blonde interjects.

"You _were _the sheriff, though."

"And now he's our deputy." Emma says.

"And it wasn't even a justifiable arrest?" James finishes.

"At the time it was." Graham clarifies.

"I wasn't drunk." Emma reiterates.

"Emma, your blood alcohol lev–"

"I can hold my liquor. Just cause I'm _legally_ intoxicated doesn't mean I can't function like I usually do."

"Believe me, I know. You don't have to remind me to never have a drinking contest with you again."

"Wait, you two had one?" This time, it's Snow who interrupts the banter.

"In hindsight, it was a really bad idea." Graham confirms. "But then one thing led to another, so it wasn't all bad."

"Henry, Henry, Henry!" Emma says loudly to keep Graham from going any further. "It was our fourth date."

"So _this_," Graham gestures around them, "is all Henry's fault. Or doing. I guess I should say 'doing' because what he did was a good thing." The five sit in companionable silence for a few moments, each of them taking in the truth of the statement.

"While we're playing Twenty Questions, I have one for Henry." No one's questioning why Emma's in such a good, family-oriented, fun mood. Emma turns to her son. "What's your favorite subject in school?" At the mention of school, the boy in question sticks his tongue out.

"It's not so much a favorite subject as it is a favorite time. I like when we get free writing time."

"I can vouch for that." Snow says. "And he's good at it, too. Of course, a lot of the stuff he's written has ties to the book, but what makes it so interesting to read is that he put you into it. Before he brought you to Storybrooke, he's write about you and the curse and how you'd be such an amazing mom if you were here and… well, I guess it's not my story to tell, but he's a good writer. That was my point." At the compliment, Henry blushes.

"What about you guys?" He asks. "What were you favorite subjects?"

"I was homeschooled," James starts, "but I really liked reading. It was always amazing to me how words work, that people came up with them and that these characters represent something. And I knew I was lucky, because most poor shepherds barely know how to write their names."

"I was homeschooled as well." Snow nods in agreement.

"More like castle-schooled." Emma scoffs.

"Yes, I suppose, but that doesn't change anything. I had to learn etiquette and survival skills–"

"Hold on, they made princesses learn survival skills?" The blonde interjects.

"The children of kings and queens are targets, Emma. The easiest way to hurt a parent, even a royal one, is to hurt their children. You'd be surprised by how many kings and queens before my mother and father were forced off the thrown because their children were going to be killed if they did not resign. But anyway, when I was supposed to be learning about which berries were edible and which ones weren't, and stuff like that, I enjoyed watching the birds and making friends with them. I considered the survival subject to be the nature subject."

"Nature's a wonderful thing." Graham agrees with a smile. "Unfortunately, though, I was self-taught. That was my only subject, so it has to be my favorite." Henry turns to his mother,

"What about you, Mom? What was your favorite subject?"

"I hated school." Emma says simply. "The only thing I actually liked was gym. I've always been a bit of an athlete, and it was the one thing I was good at. Plus, I got to _accidentally_," She puts airquotes around the word, "hit jerks in the head with balls."

"I'm surprised you didn't just knock anyone who messed with you's teeth out." Graham comments. "Given your shy, delicate sensibilities." He adds with a teasing smile.

"Oh, I did. The thing is, though, I couldn't just pick a fight with someone just because they were bothering somebody else. Then I wouldn't have any justification or defense for doing what I did."

"You stuck up for people who were bullied?" There is both pride and disbelief in Snow's voice. While she's never doubted that Emma wouldn't take crap from anyone, she wasn't entirely sure that the blonde would go out of her way to help someone. Emma may be a nice person, but Snow figures that while she was in the system, Emma's survival instincts probably outweighed her morals.

"Well, um, yeah, but…" oh no, this isn't the road Emma had wanted to go down when she'd answered Henry's question. "Only cause I had been bullied in elementary school and I guess I just, I don't know, wanted to take down every bully I saw cause I hate them so much. That was my problem with Regina when I came here. It wasn't so much that she kept me from Henry. Yeah, that sucked, but she was acting like any mother would. Like I'm acting towards Neal now. What I hated so much was that she walked on everyone and no one did a damn thing about it."

"I hate gym." Henry says quietly after a moment's silence. "I always get hit in the face with the balls when we play dodge ball and no one passes to me."

"We'll have to fix that, won't we?" Emma smiles at him. He curls up onto her side. "The thing that never made sense to me is why Regina never scared the crap out of the kids who were mean to you. She could've, and they wouldn't be mean to you."

"I dunno." The boy shrugs against his mother. "But it's a tiny bit better now. That's the plus side of your mom being the Savior and your grandparents being Snow White and Prince Charming."

"And Rumplestiltskin." The blonde adds under her breath.

"We already decided that _I'm_ the better, cooler grandfather." James says.

"Yes you are, Darling." Snow smiles.

"Mhm!" Henry agrees with an enthusiastic nod.

"Either way, Kid, I gotta teach you how to fight back."

"Yup." Graham says, "You have four kick-ass adults at your disposal." He reaches over and ruffles Henry's hair.

"Gramps and I already practice with swords."

At Emma's alarmed look, James says, "Wooden swords. It's perfectly safe."

"That's one of my favorite skills. It's really fun."

"I agree." James shares a smile with Henry. "When I'm with my sword, I feel as though we're a unit. It's difficult to explain."

"When I was with your sword, I felt like it was this awkward, unusable appendage that didn't do what I wanted it to." Emma says with a frown. "I much prefer my fists, thank you very much."

"It takes practice, Emma." Snow says. "The first time I used a sword, I almost took Grumpy's head off. Accidentally, of course."

"Yeah, I knocked over Gramma's vase."

"Charming! You said there was a little earthquake while Emma and I were gone!"

"Sorry." James cringes.

"Who wants lunch?" Emma asks in an attempt to defuse the situation.

"You just ate breakfast." Snow says, repeating Emma's earlier statement.

"Yeah, well, now I'm hungry. I'm making mac and cheese from the box if anyone wants some." Emma pushes herself off the couch.

"We don't have that." Snow apologizes.

"Fine. Do we have anything else from a box?"

"If you sit back down, I'll make you something." Snow stands up. "Is everyone okay with chicken?"

"You know, I _am_ capable of cooking."

"Mom, it's better for everyone if Gramma cooks." Henry says with a small smirk. "No offense."

"Chicken's fine." The blonde sighs as she plops back down onto the couch, barely avoiding landing on Henry. "And I'm still going to teach you how to be the best dodge ball or whatever else player ever."


	4. Like Parent, Like Child

**SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. HAD A LITTLE CASE OF WRITER'S BLOCK.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

"Oh my _God_!" Emma exclaims, savoring the taste of the chicken. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"I don't know." Snow shrugs, humbly accepting the compliment. "A little bit from my mother," Snow closes her eyes painfully. Queen Eva is still a sore topic of conversation, even after all these years. "And Mary Margaret has lots of cookbooks and _tons_ of free time. At least, she did before she remembered she's a mother, wife, and grandmother."

"Not exactly." The blonde shakes her head. "Most of your free time disappeared when I came to Storybrooke."

"True." Snow agrees.

"Why?" James asks. It's a simple question, really, and an innocent one, but the answer will be hard for him to hear. Snow doesn't want to rub in, yet again, that she's had far more experiences and time with their daughter than him. Luckily, Emma comes to Snow's rescue.

"I'm high maintenance." She says, then stabs a piece of chicken and shoves it into her mouth so she can sigh at the taste in hopes of redirecting the conversation. Maybe with David Nolan it would have worked.

"Oh, really?" He raises an eyebrow. "Somehow, that's not surprising."

"Hey!" Snow exclaims.

"How so?" James ignores his wife's outburst.

"Just… um…"

"Occasional violent tendencies." Now it's Snow who rescues Emma. "She broke the toaster–"

"I tried to fix it!"

"But in her defense, the thing would have gone any day." Snow say.

"Hmm… I wonder which one of us she gets her 'violent tendencies' from…" He flashes the brunette a teasing smile.

"I'm not violent." Snow takes a sip of her water, hiding her face behind the glass.

"Gramma, you attacked a blue bird."

"Among other things." Emma adds under her breath.

"Me." Graham supplies helpfully.

"First of all," Snow holds up her pointer finger, "That blue bird thing, I was sort of cursed…–ish… and Graham, you tried to kill me. What I did was hardly an attack." Though Emma would never admit it, she actually likes being compared to her parents and watching people try to figure out which one she's more like, or which traits she gets from who. It makes her feel wanted and loved.

"Hey Mom?" Henry asks.

"Yeah?"

"Am I more like you or Dad?" At this, Emma chokes on a brussell sprout. Yes, Snow is forcing vegetables in her. Emma's figured out that there's no sense in protesting. Graham shoots his parents-in-law (or future, but that doesn't matter to Graham. He hasn't proposed yet. He wants to. He just wants to make sure Emma won't freak out and get overloaded) an alarmed look. After a few gulps of water, Emma can breathe normally and James' heart starts beating again after his mini heart attack at Emma's little choking incident.

"Your dad's a charming, trouble-making…" She pauses. _Be nice_, she reminds herself. "Man. He's a charming, trouble-making man. We met when I, uh, stole his car. But it wasn't really _his_ car, he had stolen it. But he popped up in the backseat, like you did. And you have his hair, obviously. You have my eyes, though. You get people wrapped around your finger and you _do_ cause trouble, but in an adorable, endearing way." As an afterthought, she adds, "Most of the time. Except when you're trying to blow things up."

"Really? Cause all I see in him is Emma."

"It's the eyes." Snow agrees, nodding. "Though, they have Neal's mischievous twinkle."

"The _one_ thing he inherited from Neal causes me to have anxiety every single day. Of course." Emma says sarcastically.

"All three of you," Graham points to Snow, Emma, and Henry, "have the same exact eyes. Snow's usually has that twinkle, too, so Henry could've gotten it from her. Emma's are usually glaring." At that, Henry giggles.

"I've been better!" Emma insists. "I got dressed up for our welcome home party."

"You wore a sweater and did something with your hair." Snow interjects.

"And I haven't punched Neal in the face."

"Yet." Graham says.

"Oh, come _on_, guys. I've been nice."

"Yes, you've been very good." James smiles, talking to her as if she's five and hasn't had a temper tantrum in a whole two days.

"Gramps, can we use the swords some more?" Henry nearly whines.

"Henry, you just ate. You might get sick." Snow says, getting up to clear the plates off the table. Graham helps.

"I'll be fine, I _promise_." He's nearly bouncing out of his chair with his exuberance. It's the same exuberance that none of the adults can say 'no' to.

"Okay." Emma sighs, already feeling sorry for her father. "But if you start throwing up you better not whine about it."

"Gramps! Can we teach Emma some stuff?" The blonde desperately wants to yell 'no way in Hell', but Henry's enthusiastic and innocent face, as well as her father's hopeful, albeit reigned in, face, stops her. Snow offers her daughter a small smile, but hidden by the sweet exterior is a smirk.

"This should be fun." Graham says, wrapping an arm around Emma's shoulders.

"You know what?" The blonde sighs. "It might actually be."

**SO, ORIGINALLY I HAD THE NEXT CHAPTER AND THIS ONE COMBINED, BUT I DECIDED TO MAKE THEM INTO TWO SEPARATE CHAPTERS. FEEL FREE TO DROP A REVIEW! THEY MAKE ME UPDATE FASTER LOL!**


	5. Swording Gone Wrong

**SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. I HAD STARTED WRITING THIS AND THEN I HIT A GIANT ROADBLOCK AND I HAD TO RESTART. IT USUALLY DOEN'ST TAKE **_**THIS**_** LONG TO POST A NEW CHAPTER.**

**I DO NOT OWN ONCE UPON A TIME OR ITS CHARACTERS.**

"You know, Kid," Emma smirks, "I don't exactly suck at the whole 'swording' thing. I killed a dragon and bested Captain Hook."

"Emma, _Gramps_ has been teaching me." Henry says as the two circle each other. James chuckles at the compliment.

"Yeah, well, he's _my_ dad, so his blood –and therefor skills– is more concentrated in me than it is in you." In response, Henry simply sticks his tongue out.

"Emma, bend your arm a little bit." Graham advises. "You don't want him to hit your sword with it that stiff. It'll kill."

"I thought your expertise was darts."

"I'm a man of many skills, my Princess." He says with a smile. Henry suddenly springs forward, letting his sword drop onto the ground as he tackles Emma into a big bear hug. They both land on the grass with an 'oof'. Henry grins while Emma groans.

"Ugh, Kid, you're heavy. Get off."

"For the record, that's not what I told him to do." David says as Henry rolls off, giggling uncontrollably. Mary Margaret can't contain her laughter, either.

"That _was_ funny." Graham admits, then offers his girlfriend a hand. Emma grabs it, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"Wait, I didn't hurt you, right?" Henry looks up at her with a panicked expression.

"No." Emma laughs. "What was David feeding you while I was gone? You got _tall_." For the first time, the blonde realizes that her son's head no longer meets her chest, but her _chin_.

"Definitely not as much junk as you give him." David cracks a smile.

"I have to balance it out." Emma says. "Since Mary Margaret forces vegetables onto us."

"Hey, Guys. _Look_!" Henry points toward the tree line. Without waiting for a response from any of the adults, he takes off running.

"Kid! Wait!"

"Emma!" Graham takes off behind Emma, who had instantly sprinted after her son, and David and Mary Margaret are right behind Graham. To an outsider, it would have been a ridiculous sight: four grown adults running after the one ahead of them with an eleven year old boy in the front. Emma can only imagine it, and her mind briefly wanders to _Tom and Jerry_, or _Scooby Doo_, and she probably would have found the whole situation comical if Henry's safety wasn't being questioned.

"Henry, get away from the wolf!" Emma yells in a panicky voice.

"He's not going to hurt him!" Graham yells back, desperately trying to defuse the situation.

"I _know_ Henry's not going to hurt the wolf. It's the freaking wolf hurting _Henry_ that's the issue." Emma snaps, skidding to a stop behind Henry, who's a few yards ahead of her, slowly walking toward the black and red eyed wolf.

"I meant it the other way around." Graham lays a comforting arm on her shoulder. "The wolf's my friend." Graham's words reassure Henry, and he pats the wolf's head.

"Graham, does he have a name?"

"Not yet." He smiles at the boy. "Would you like to give him one?"

"Graham!" Emma snaps. "Do not encourage him."

"What about Spot?" Henry looks up, his hand resting on Spot's neck. The wolf snorts a little, nodding his head. Henry's face lights up. "You like that, don't you boy? Yeah, you do." He begins moving his hand in circles. Spot nuzzles him.

"Oh, no." Emma shakes her head. "No. You are _not_ keeping it as a pet."

"_Please_, Mom!" Henry begs, giving her the best puppy dog eyes he can.

"Henry, Spot's still a wild animal." Mary Margaret says gently, seeing that the blonde is clearly torn between keeping Henry happy and keeping him –and everyone else– safe.

"He's like a brother to me." Graham interjects, always with the best logic and timing in the world. "He would never hurt anyone."

"We can keep him in the garden out back. The flowers are already dead anyway, and I don't think the other people will mind. And I'll play with him _every day_ and I'll always remember to feed him and give him water."

"Fine." Mary Margaret sighs, looking over to David, who nods. "As long as you're responsible with him, you can keep Spot."

"What do you mean 'fine'!? It's a _wolf_. It could _eat_ him!"

"But he won't." Graham says. "Right Boy?" In response, Spot trots over to Graham, licking his hand.

"_Really_?"

"It'll be fine, Emma." David says quietly.

"Don't you think, I don't know, that the _neighbors_ and other tenants are going to have a problem with a frigging _wolf_ living with them?"

"One of the perks of being royal, My Dear Emma," David starts, "is that other people generally let you do whatever you want."

"I hate all of you right now."

"Gramps? We need to stop at the pet store on the way home. Spot needs a leash and a bed."

"He won't need a leash, Henry." Graham slings an arm around the boy as they walk back to the clearing. "He's loyal. He'll follow you anywhere."

"I mean _really_, Spot?" Emma throws her hands up in exasperation, clearly on her own train of thought and not at all paying attention the rest of the family's conversation. "I thought the most I'd come home with would be bruises from this little excursion. But no. I get to bring a freaking _wolf_ home."

**I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG TO GET UP, AND ALSO FOR THE SHORTNESS. IT WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO BE LONGER, BUT I WANTED TO GET IT UP FOR YOU GUYS. THANKS FOR READING, AND IF YOU HAVE A MOMENT, PLEASE REVIEW! **


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